The invention relates to the loading and unloading of yarn package carriers with yarn packages for dyeing in standard dye machines. Heretofore, the loading of package carriers has been accomplished only in a vertical direction with packages initially dropped vertically from the top onto each spindle until the spindle was full, at which time a pole serving as a spindle extension was attached to the spindle with several more packages being slid down over this extension. Thereafter, a vertical compressor device compressed the stack of packages to a point where the top of the last package was below the top of the spindle, the spindle extension was removed and a retainer was placed on the end of the spindle to secure the packages in the compressed condition prior to the withdrawal of the vertical compressor. This process has been relatively time consuming and labor intensive, requiring the placing and removing of the spindle extension and manual dropping of each yarn package, damage to the yarn packages has been frequent due to the long drops involved, and a production area having a relatively high ceiling has been necessary because of the necessity of using the spindle extension and a vertically oriented compressing means placed thereon. Also, a number of safety problems have been associated with vertical loaders. Examples of prior art devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. 3,768,680, and German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2,300,838.
According to the teachings of the present invention, a horizontally disposed semi-automatic yarn package carrier loading assembly and a method of loading such a carrier are disclosed which eliminate the above mentioned disadvantages. A frame is provided for supporting a yarn package carrier to be loaded. The frame in one position thereof is oriented so that a carrier attached thereto has the spindles thereof disposed vertically, and the frame is tiltable from that position to a yarn package loading position thereof wherein the spindles are disposed horizontally. A powered indexing device associated with the tiltable frame rotates the carrier so that the spindles thereof are sequentially brought into an operative position for loading.
For loading a spindle of the yarn package carrier when it is disposed in an operative horizontal position there is provided a loading device. The loading device comprises a pair of semicircular horizontally disposed trays, one of the trays being pivotal about an axis between the trays to deposit yarn packages from that tray to the other tray. A horizontally reciprocal compressor is disposed within the other semicicular tray to move yarn packages retained in the tray onto the spindle in operative relationship therewith, and to compress the yarn packages onto the spindle. Since the elements are all horizontally disposed, no dropping of yarn packages is necessary, the ceiling of the production area need not be high, no spindle extension is necessary, the speed of loading packages is greatly increased and there are no significant safety problems. Semi-automatic means are provided for moving the loading device into proper alignment with the semi-auotmatically tiltable carrier frame, which means allow for proper alignment of parts before compressing of the yarn on the spindles.
It is a principal object of this invention to provide an improved apparatus and method for loading yarn packages on spindles of a yarn package carrier so that a spindle extension is not necessary, damage to yarn packages is reduced, the requirements of space for production activities are reduced, there are no significant safety problems, and the time for loading a carrier is reduced. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and the appended claims.